Report an issue
If you have concerns regarding a Fair Trade USA™ position, policy, decision, or the behavior of anyone involved in the Fair Trade USA system, we want to address it.
Complaints Procedure
Anyone can submit a complaint, allegation, and/or appeal, and confidentiality is very important to us. If you’ve seen something you want to report, this document explains exactly how we’ll handle it.
Summary of Complaints Received
In 2025, Fair Trade USA reviewed 12 cases across its certification programs, including five allegations and seven complaints. An “allegation” is a claim that a certified entity may have violated Fair Trade Standards and therefore requires a formal investigation, while a “complaint” is a formal expression of dissatisfaction with Fair Trade USA or a third‑party acting on its behalf, such as a certification body.
Cases addressed themes such as premium payments, performance of certification bodies, working conditions, and premium management. Most matters were unfounded and resolved through standard assurance processes, while a smaller number were founded and resulted in corrective actions. Several items remain under review and will be followed up on during scheduled audits or through additional information gathering.
Fair Trade USA continues to monitor ongoing issues and integrate identified risks into its assurance planning to support program integrity and continuous improvement.
Complaints Form
The first step in submitting a complaint, allegation, and/or appeal is to complete the website form below.
If you would rather fill out a word doc, you can find instructions here. You will have to email the document with any attachments to certification@fairtradeusa.org.